Selected Writings |
| The Christmas decorations have been taken down, the ornaments packed away, and the Nativity figures safely stored. Gifts have been used, or used up, or even forgotten, but the Perfect Gift is as new today as it was on Christmas morning. As we settle into our usual busy schedules, we can continue to honor the Gift and thank the Giver in the way we care for the lovely and mysterious world God has given us to live in and in how we do the work he has given each of us to do. In her book, Plain and Simple, Sue Bender tells of talking with an Amish farmer who told her, "The land is God’s. It’s my job and the job of every Amish person to take care of it for him. Caring for he land every day is my way to be close to God." In the Amish life, Bender saw a focus that she wanted in her own life. She saw respect for the work done, for the material used, for the result of the work, and for the worker. She saw pleasure and satisfaction in everyday routines. Man or women, adult or child, what they did and how they did it expressed their love for God and for onw another. Even the simplest most ordinary task can be offered in service to God and be transformed into something extraordinary as it becomes a part of what we do to honor and Gift and thank the Giver. |